Evaporator



UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER LEEV STRONG, OF SCHELL CITY, MISSOURI.A

EVAPO RATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,379, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed September 15,1886. Serial No. 213,624. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER LEE STRONG, a citizenof the United States,`residing at Schell City, in the county of Vernon and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Evaporators, of which the foly lowing is a specification.A

My invention relates to an improvement in evaporators; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims. y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of an evaporator embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the trays. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view takenon the line ww of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line yy of Fig. 1.

A represents the case or boiler of the evaporator, which is rectangular in form, and is provided with a central rectangular chamber, B, which extends transversely entirely through the case or boiler A, and has its ends closed by the doors C, which are hinged to the sides of the case A. The said doors are provided at their sides and upper edges with ventilati11g-openingsD,which may be opened or closed by means of pivoted slides E.

The lower side ofthe case A, below the compartment B, forms a water-chamber, F. The spaces between the ends of the compartment B and the ends of the case A form vertical ilues G, to permit the vertical escape of steamv from the water-chamber or boiler F, and the space between the upper side of the compartment B and the top ofthe case A forms a horizontal flue, H, which connects the end iiues, G. The said flue H is provided with an escape-pipe, I, which projects vertically from the upper side of the case A, and forms a seat for a weighted valve, K.

L represents an inletbpening at the upper side of the case A, at one end thereof, which is closed by a cap, L; and M represents a faucet,which is attached to the lower side of the Water-compartment F, at one end thereof.

On the upper side of the case A, at the center thereof, is journaled an elevating-bail, N Awhich is made from a single piece ofy wire or rod bent to form a handle, O, and crank-arms P. The said Crankarms normally depend on the front and rear sides of the case A.

R represents aseres of evaporating pans or trays, each vof which comprises a rectangular frame, S,whichis made of tin or other suitable sheet metal, and a screen, T,which is stretched on the lower side of the frame S, and has its edges secured thereto. The side walls of the frames S are provided with depending outwardly-Haring flanges U, and openings V are made in the frames S, about midway between the upper and lower edges thereof.

Attached to the crank-arms of the elevatingbail, and depending therefrom, are rods V, having their lower ends bifurcated and provided with inwardly-extending prongs Z, which are adapted to enter openings a, which are made in the ends of the evaporating-trays, near their upper edges.

The operation of my invention is as follows: A suitable quantity of water is placed in the water-chamber F, and the evaporator is placed on'a cooking-stove or over a furnace, and the water therein is raised to the boiling-point. The steam therefrom lls the dues or chambers G and H, which extend around the compartment B, and the said steam is kept at a suit- `able pressure by means of the weighted valve inserted in the openings a of the tray which is in the evaporator, when the doors are opened and the said tray is elevated in the evaporating-'chamber a distance equal to the height of the tray by turning the elevating-bail N to the reverse of the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 1. The tray which has just been filled is then inserted in the compartment B, between the bottom thereof and the lower side of the elevated tray, and the operation before de- IOO can be removed and a new one substituted at the bottom of the pile of trays, as before described, this operation being repeated indelinitely until all the fruit or vegetables have been evaporated.

The depending outwardly-flared flanges on the lower sides of the trays serve the purpose of nesting the trays closely together when they are piled in the evaporating-ehamber, and the ventilating-openings D in the doors serve to permit the escape of vapor and moisture from the fruit'or vegetables as they are being dried.

After the fruit has all been evaporated, the trays are removed from the evapoiatingcham ber, and the water remaining' in the waterchamber is drawn ofi' by the faucet N. The heat remaining in the case or boiler A quickly dries the interior thereof, thus preventing it from becoming rusted.

An evaporator th us const rueted is extremely cheap and simple, is very strong and durable, and is adapted to evaporate large quantities ot' fruit or Vegetables in a short period of time.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The combination of the evaporator-case A, having the compartment B, with the evaporating-trays adapted to be nested or placed one 011 top of the other in the said compart ment, and th e bail having the cranlrarms I), and the rods XV, depending from the said crankarms and adapted to engage the trays, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

2. A fruit-evaporator comprising the shell having a water-tank in its lower portion and an opening at one side closed by a door, an interior bottomless chamber,B, arranged above the water-tank to communicate with the opening in the shell and surrounded by escape llues, the removable trays having the depending laring anges on their lower sides and adapted to be nested together Within the interior chamber, said trays being adapted to be adjusted beneath one another and passed and removed through the opening in the shell, and elevating mechanism arranged exteriorly to the shell and adapted to be connected with the lower tray to elevate all the trays .in the chamber, and thereby provide a space beneath the trays for the introduction of another tray therein, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiIiXed my signature in presence ol' two witnesses.

IIOMER LEE STRONG.

Vitnesses:

II. l). VHERRITT, Rom?. E. HERRIGK. 

